Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 770 of 1503)

      Should 49ers be worried about Crabtree holding out?

      July 26, 2009 /

      According to 49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco, the 49ers could have trouble signing first round pick Michael Crabtree in time for the start of training camp.

      If history tells us anything it’s that Crabtree’s agent, Eugene Parker, does not mind engaging in holdout tactics. (Technically, an unsigned rookie is not a “holdout” because no contract has been agreed upon. I’ll try my best to refrain from calling it a holdout. Rather, it’s a contract stalemate.)

      At least four of Parker’s clients had contract issues last season. Bills tackle Jason Peters skipped 43 days and missed the season opener. Rams running back Steven Jackson held out for 27 days before signing a new contract. Bears return man Devin Hester did not report for the first two days of camp before signing a new deal. And Cardinals rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie missed two practices before signing his contract.

      Yes, the 49ers have been successful in getting their draft picks signed on time in recent years. But the agents deserve some credit, too.

      The 49ers – and every team in the NFL – believe that a player’s rookie contract is essentially predetermined by where he was selected in the draft. As the No. 10 overall pick, Crabtree should receive less than the No. 9 pick and a little more than No. 11.

      I don’t believe the 49ers would buy the suggestion that Crabtree deserves more money because a lot of outsiders thought he should have been selected sooner in the draft and he was generally regarded as a better prospect than receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, whom the Raiders selected with the seventh pick.

      As Maiocco indicates in the article, there’s still a ton of time and more importantly, only four first round picks have signed (Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Alex Mack and “Ziggy” Hood) up to this point, which indicates that it isn’t out of the norm that the Niners haven’t signed Crabtree yet. It might take the Packers signing B.J. Raji (who was selected a pick ahead of Crabtree) or the Bills signing Aaron Maybin (who was selected a pick behind Crabtree) before the 49ers are able to work out a deal with Crabtree.

      Either way, panic shouldn’t be setting in San Fran just yet.

      NFL

      Body language expert suggests Big Ben is telling the truth

      July 25, 2009 /

      As Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave his first public appearance since being accused of sexually assaulting a Las Vegas hotel worker, a TV station in Pittsburgh asked a body language expert to break down Big Ben’s demeanor to see if he was telling the truth.

      Well breathe easy Ben, because you’re innocent…at least in the eyes of this so-called expert.

      On Thursday night, Channel 11 News invited a body language expert to review the statement made by Ben Roethlisberger about the civil lawsuit filed against him.

      Sally Chopping said she believes Roethlisberger is telling the truth about the allegations against him.

      “You can really tell he’s finding this thing heavy going,” she said after watching the statement.

      In a part of the statement where Roethlisberger shook his head a split second before the word ‘never’, Chopping said, “He’s not thinking it, he’s not faking it, he’s feeling it.”

      Chopping also believes Roethlisberger is feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, evidenced by his shoulder shrugs. But she believes the shrugs also show his sincerity.

      Well, that settles that then – who’s up for some chimi chungas?

      I think Big Ben is innocent too, but I find it funny that a TV station (in Pittsburgh, mind you) brought in a body language expert to try and determine whether or not he was telling the truth based on a speech he gave. What if this woman came in and said he was lying based on his body language? How much do you want to bet that that segment would have never seen the light of day?

      NFL

      Phillies: Jays want too much for Halladay

      July 25, 2009 /

      According to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies can have Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. All it would cost them is young major league pitcher J.A. Happ, top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, high-ceiling outfield prospect Dominic Brown, the International Space Station, Citizens Bank Park, the moon, a fighter jet, an HD copy of Erin Andrews’ peephole video and a rare (never been heard) collection of Guns N’ Roses songs on vinyl.

      Shockingly, the Phillies don’t want to part with all of that:

      According to an executive of one team that has spoken with the Phillies’ brass, the Phillies are adamantly opposed to giving up both Happ and Drabek. There are indications they would like to substitute pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco for one of those two, preferably in place of the highly regarded Drabek.

      Blue Jays officials have told other clubs that Philadelphia still hasn’t informed them it was unwilling to include both pitchers in a package for Holliday. But another source said the two sides are currently discussing “a list of seven or eight names” that will constitute the framework of a 3-for-1 or 4-for-1 deal.

      Drabek, Happ and Brown are on that list, along with Carrasco, outfielder Michael Taylor, catcher Lou Marson and shortstop Jason Donald. It’s believed that hard-throwing Class A righthander Jason Knapp was also on the list at one time. But Knapp just went on the disabled list with “shoulder fatigue.” So, according to one source, talk about him has “cooled.”

      Now that the Blue Jays have finished scouting the Phillies’ system, the two sides have reached the stage where they are swapping names back and forth, according to multiple sources.

      What’s interesting about this situation is that it appears that both of these teams are somewhat close to striking a deal for Halladay. But Toronto is going to have to back off its demands a tad (maybe they don’t go after Drabek and the space station) in order to complete a deal.

      A package of Happ, Carrasco and Brown for Halladay seems like a fair deal for both sides. It would still be a steep price to pay for Philadelphia, but Halladay is as close to a guarantee as you’re going to get and he would dramatically raise the Phillies’ chances at getting back to the World Series.

      MLB

      Holliday has four hits in debut with Cards

      July 25, 2009 /

      Matt HollidayThink Matt Holliday likes his new surroundings?

      On the same day he was traded to St. Louis, Holliday went 4 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI in the Cards’ 8-1 victory over the Phillies on Friday night. Granted, three of his four hits were of the cheap variety (he reached on a dribbler to third, a blooper to right and a weak grounder up the middle), but he also almost went yard in the seventh and also stole a base in the second.

      Obviously this was only one game, but you get the sense that this was one of those trades that’s going to make a huge difference for a club. The Cards are only 1.5 games ahead of the Cubs and Astros in the NL Central, but the deal for Holliday could potentially ignite St. Louis for the rest of the second half.

      MLB

      Saturday MMA Review: 7/25

      July 25, 2009 /

      Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

      In a week that left every MMA fan with a massive hangover…

      – Affliction heavyweight Josh Barnett pissed dirty in a random drug test, and was yanked from next Saturday’s “Trilogy” Card. After a futile search for a replacement opponent, Affliction decided it would be easier for everybody if they just went back to selling t-shirts.

      – Lithuanian underdog Marius Zaromskis won DREAM’s welterweight grand prix by knocking out Hayato Sakurai and Jason High on the same night.

      – Strikeforce’s formerly-epic “Carano vs. Cyborg” card lost two title fights, one due to an infected hand and the other due to an unfortunate drug reaction.

      – Instead of the title shot he was promised, UFC middleweight star Dan Henderson has to fight Rich Franklin again, just eight months after he beat him the first time.

      – UFC old-schooler Kimo Leopoldo was discovered not dead of a heart attack. He was, and still is, 41.

      – We wondered what the future holds for the UFC’s fallen U.K. poster boy Michael Bisping.

      – In a sport full of turmoil and constant surprises, we can always count on Gina Carano to look hot in public.

      Mixed Martial Arts

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